Sculptor of Flesh
by Dr. Anesthetic
Summary: Jiraiya died one year into Naruto's training trip, yet Naruto was gone two. Now he is back in search of power. Power gained by the most terrible of means. His friends sense something is wrong, but can't quite put their fingers on it. However, whatever they may have thought, no one could have expected this.


Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Description: Jiraiya died one year into Naruto's training trip, yet Naruto was gone two. Now he is back, but something is different. His friends notice something is very wrong, but can't quite put their fingers on it . Whatever they may have thought, they could never have expected this.

Chapter 1

It was a sunny day in Kohona, and Sakura was heading out to do her weekly grocery shopping. She was walking along the street, smiling at familiar faces in passing. Going around a corner, she neared Ino's family shop, and decided to stop by for a moment to say hi to her oldest friend.

"Hey, Ino!" Sakura called into the shop.

A moment later Ino's head popped out from under the counter. Smiling at seeing who had entered her family's shop.

"Sakura!" she exclaimed with mild surprise. "And what do I owe this visit?"

The place was a beautiful as always. Rows upon rows with flowers of different colours and shapes. That's why Ino fits in so well she supposed. She hadn't the best confidence ever since Naruto and Sasuke had left. Naruto not there to brighten her day with his positive disposition and constant, clumsy romantic advances. There had also been quite some reflection upon the days she's spent drooling after Sasuke. It was hard admitting he really betrayed them, but still, she knew that there would always be a part of her that loved him.

"What?" Sakura changed to a joking tone. "Do I need a reason to visit my best friend?"

Ino's smile grew at this.

"I suppose not," she sighed mockingly. "So what have you been up to?"

"Between missions Tsunade never fails to work me into exhaustion."

It was not until then that Ino noticed the faint signs of fatigue on her friend. Suddenly feeling bad for her, Ino decided to cheer her up. She knew that the absence of both of her teammates had also really taken a toll on her.

"That old bag is only jealous of your youth! She is trying to see how hard she can work you before you start to develop wrinkles." Ino laughed.

"It's a small price to pay to get stronger," said Sakura, letting the joke go by unnoticed. "I can't fall behind Naruto and..."

Ino's mood plummeted. It had been over two years, it was time for Sakura to get on with her life, Ino sure had.

"Now, now. Don't get all depressed on me," Ino paused. "Hey, look at this."

She turned and walked into the back of the shop, Sakura following just behind her.

"It's something me and my father has worked on," Ino explained. "I think its the best flower we've successfully bred so far."

What Sakura saw behind a protective glass in the room just past the shop astounded her. A pink flower, filled with thin petals. It reminded her of a sunflower, but smaller and more delicate. It was absolutely beautiful.

Ino smilled at the look on Sakuras face and continued.

"It kinda reminds me of you. Too bad your name is already taken."

Hearing this, a wave of shame rippled over her. What right did she have being depressed? She still had a friend many could only dream of. She rushed forward and an "eep!" escaped from Ino as she swept her into a hug.

"Thank you..."

Ino, knowing that nothing had to be said, put her arms around Sakura.

- Couple of hours later -

Naruto stepped through the gates of Kohona. The place smelled almost the same as he remembered. Food, flowers and spices from different stands filled the air. But there was something different. A very distinct 'odor'. The of stench ignorance and weakness. It had always been there, he realized. But had gone unnoticed, until now. The reactions upon his return were what he expected. Most tried their best to ignore him, but a significant part of the masses stared at him with open hostility. This of course did not phase Naruto. Watching the villagers try to look menacing made him think of small dogs, closer to rats in size, barking futilely at the larger beast.

He walked along the streets towards the Hokage tower, still struggling to find an excuse for his long absence. He knew that the news of Jiraiya's death reached Tsunade's ear soon after it happened, about a year ago. No doubt she expected him have immediately returned to the village to mourn and then return to active duty. But this was not the case, he had all too much to do.

He ran up a pole to get a better view over the village. Old feelings of nostalgia washed over him, mixed with new ones of a darker nature. It had not changed one bit. Unlike him. Much had happened during his time away from the village, he had adapted to a new state of being. He was no longer the black sheep. His fangs had grown too long and mind too predatorial. No, a sheep could in no way describe what he had become, no matter the colour.

"Naruto..." he heard a female voice from below.

Looking down he saw a surprised Sakura, a fraction of a moment later the shock on her face turned into a huge smile.

"Naruto!" she cried out.

He put a smile on his face and jumped down.

"Ah, Sakura-chan!" he exclaimed, laughing with pretend joy.

"You have grown so much!" said Sakura, the smile never leaving her face.

He had grown. His face had also become more adult. The fat had left his cheeks, and he had let his hair grow to the length his father had wore it. His father's identity was something Jiraiya had finally revealed once he deemed Naruto mature enough. But what had changed most was his eyes, not how they looked, though they had took on a sharper shape, but the force that they emanated for those who looked closely enough or without bias.

"Hehehe, you haven't changed one bit." Naruto answered cluelessly.

This statement was met with a fist to the face. Some things never change.

"Ow, what gives?" Naruto asked, as he picked himself up from the ground with a disgruntled expression. The blow, no matter how powerful, had not affected him to any significant extent.

"That's not something you should say to a growing lady you haven't seen for two years!" said Sakura, fuming with indignation.

"Sorry, sorry" he said with a smile returning to his face.

"Where have you been all this time? I've been worried. We've been worried." she said, looking down to her feet.

Naruto could tell she had a hard time expressing her feelings about his disappearance without a word after Jiraiya's death. He had taken extra care of not letting any information about his whereabouts and what he was doing back to Kohona.

"Sorry, after Jiraiya's death..." he paused for a moment. "I just needed some time alone."

Seeing her look of sympathy he realized that it might not be more complicated than that, that he had found his excuse.

They started walking towards the Hokage tower, and Sakura made no further attempts at prying for information Naruto didn't want to share. Instead they settled for some lighthearted reminiscing, both taking care to avoid one subject - Sasuke. A loose end that Naruto planned to tie up neatly when the time came.

- At Hokage Tower -

"Naruto!" a female voice called out, clearly in rage.

This was the first thing he heard as he entered the Hokage's office, and for the second time that day he experienced a fist, seemingly unprovoked, slamming into his face. However, he had a harder time getting up after this one.

"Owie." Naruto was rubbing his cheek. "I wish you people would just stop hitting me!"

"You're lucky that's all you get!" Tsunade answered furiously.

"Ok, I know you're mad. I just want you to know that I had a good reason for not returning!"

"Really!? Then explain yourself!"

Time to shine.

"After Jiraiya's death..." Naruto tried to look sad. "I just needed some time alone."

The now all too familiar feeling of a fist ploughing through his cheek met him again.

"A year isn't 'some time'!" Tsunade screamed.

Seems his excuse wasn't good enough after all. Naruto mentally sighed. This could turn really bothersome really fast if he didn't somehow diffuse the situation.

"Baa-chan," Naruto's tone took on a serious edge, surprising both Sakura and Tsunade. "I know you're mad, but please understand that Jiraiya's death affected me in ways I can't even describe."

Both Tsunade and Sakura were shocked at this uncharacteristic tone, and pained expression. How much had Naruto really changed? Had he really been that hurt by Jiraiya's death? Tsunade had been drunk a couple of weeks, but then picked herself up, knowing she had responsibilities.

To Naruto's own ears, the sentence sounded absolutely ridiculous. That's what happends when you leave things up to last second improvising he supposed. But judging from the uncertainty entering Tsunade's face, it seems to have had effect in his favour.

"Fine, that's good enough fo now," Tsunades decided to answer after some thought. "But don't you ever think you'll get away with something like this again!"

What he said may have shocked Tsunade, but she was not willing to let this go yet. She would find out what Naruto had been up to this past year. And she would need help, so Tsunade dismissed Naruto while ordering Sakura to stay. If there was in reallity nothing more to Naruto's absence, she needed to be subtle about it, not letting him know of her suspicions.

"Sakura, I want you to keep a close eye on Naruto, there isn't something quite right about his long absence. We all were hurt by Jiraiya's passing, but doesn't warrant being away without a word for an entire year!"

"Hai, Tsunade-sama," Sakura affirmed. "But are you sure we should really do this? He might be telling the truth. Why would he lie to begin with?"

"I understand youir concern. But there is something off about him, something that I just can't pin down. Keep an eye on him. Dismissed!"

As Sakura was walking away from Tsunade, she couldn't help but agree with her. There was a nagging feeling that something was wrong with Naruto, but she couldn't say what. Almost as if it were some primal instinct that reacted to Naruto's presence. It made her feel uneasy. She had first thought it was just her mind playing tricks on her, but with Tsunade affirming these feelings, Sakura no longer knew what to believe.

- The Streets of Kohona -

So, it seems I'm off the hook for now, thought Naruto, as he walked towards his old, rundown apartment. But he wasn't naive enough to believe that this was over for good. No, it would come back, possibly to bite him in the ass. They could not know about him, at least, not until he had deemed the time right. They would know the real him, eventually.

"Boss! Over here" Naruto heard a familiar voice call out.

At his right Konohamaru and his team came running.

"Boss! You're back!" Konohamaru called out happily.

"Oh, Konohamaru!" said Naruto, returning his smile.

"I have something to show you!" Konohamaru called out excitedly. "Sexy No Jutsu!"

And in his place appeared an adult, attractive, and very naked woman. Naruto Giggled at this.

"Great skills Konohamaru!" Naruto gave him a thumbs up. "You will surely be a great ninja some day!"

"Naruto! Don't encourage him!" he suddenly heard Sakura cry out behind him.

As he turned around he could see Sakura trying to restrain herself from sending him flying. Corrupting the youth in such a way. But surprisingly, she took control over her temper and continued.

"I just ran past Kakashi, he wants us to meet him at the third training grounds."

"Ok, Sakura-chan! See you Konohamaru. Konohamaru's friends." He waved them goodbye and followed after Sakura.

- Third Training Grounds -

Arriving at the training grounds, Naruto saw Kakashi stand on the very place team 7 had their fist test. The day Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke first learnt to work as a team. Back then they seemed to have potential as a group. But in the end Sasuke's desire for power, and revenge against Itachi won over any potential friendship or new formed brotherhood. And at the Valley of the End they fought. Back then Naruto made the mistake of holding back, thus Sasuke got away to join Orochimaru.

"Ah, Naruto-kun, welcome back." said Kakashi while giving Naruto one of his eye smiles.

"Kakashi sensei!" Naruto internally sighed as he once again forced is mouth into a large smile. "It's been too long!"

"Indeed Naruto-kun. All too long," Kakashi replied. "Maybe you can guess why we are here. I have been asked by Hokage-sama to estimate the skills you have gained while being away. Sakura will be joining you."

Kakashi dug up a pair of small bells out of his pocket and showed them to both Naruto and Sakura.

"The method I will be using is the same as the first time we met here," Kakashi continued. "You two do everything in your power to take these bells from me, don't hold back. Now, if you don't mind I would like to start immediately."

"Hai!" said Sakura and Naruto in unison, and at once all three of them dispersed into the surrounding trees.

But Kakashi never disappeared from Naruto's sight. Naruto could both see and smell him. His sense of smell had improved since he left, it had been modified to pick up on both chakra and emotions. All of which had a very distinct smell to him now.

Stalking towards his prey, Naruto elongated his nails into sharp claws. Kakashi still seemed to be oblivious to Naruto's presence just a few paces away. Suddenly something changed, while there were no obvious outward signs that anything had happened, Naruto noticed Kakashi's scent change. No longer were there any emotions there, just the smell of pure chakra. Kakashi had used the replacement technique to change places with one of his shadow clones. That meant Kakashi knew were Naruto was. Knowing that Kakashi would try to take him by surprise, Naruto quickly turned around.

"A thousand years..." Kakashi never had a chance to finish that sentence before finding out that his ambush had been a complete failure.

"I don't think so!" yelled Naruto while launching his own attack. Naruto's fist met Kakashi's face and sent him flying into the underbrush.

Kakashi had no idea how Naruto had known he was there. He had executed the replacement technique perfectly, nothing should have given him away. There was something strange going on, and Kakashi was determined to find out what. He body flickered away and decided to go after Sakura for now.

Naruto never lost sight of Kakashi. Every human glowed with life-force, which his eyes could now registrer. He could see a glowing aura around people, even through things that would otherwise block his vision. Naruto saw Kakashi head for Sakura's direction, and quietly followed.

Sakura was standing in an open field, hoping for a straight up fight. Dhe knew Kakashi couldn't match her in pure strength. She had heard a crashing sound to her left just moments ago, but decided to stay. She hoped Naruto hadn't been defeated, and regreted not rendezvousing with him just after the battle had begun. They would have a much better chance if working together, alone they could not match Kakashi's skill. At least, so she thought.

Suddenly she felt something approach at high speeds behind her. She turned around to just barely dodge Kakashi's kick. They exchanged a few blows, Sakura not successfully landing any, outmatched by Kakashi's speed. They both jumped away from each other, and Kakashi disappeared with a 'poff'. She began to look around her, wondering where he could have gone. But then she remembered their first bell test with team 7. Gathering chakra into her fist, she pummeled the ground creating cracks in the earth around her, and in one crevice she could see Kakashi's shell-shocked face.

Naruto had to hold back his laughter at the sight. Seems Tsunade had helped her achive the same monstrous destructive power the Kage herself possessed. Even Naruto would have a hard time handling one of those blows. Finally, Kakashi was starting to recover his posture and jumped out of the crack. This was when Naruto saw his chance of finishing this without displaying too much power. He repressed all signs of his presence and slowly creeped up behind his prey as Sakura was charging. Seems she didn't notice him either, her berserker fighting-style must have given her tunnel vision.

As Kakashi jumped out of Sakura's way, while in the air Naruto once again enlongated his nails onto claws and cut off the strings to the bells.

"Hehehe, seems like we win!" Naruto was displaying the bells to Kakashi who hadn't yet fully realized what had happened.

"What..." Kakashi put her hands on his hip where the bells were supposed to be. "I guess congratulations are in order. You pass!"

Both Sakura and Naruto cheered.

Kakashi were giving both of them a thumbs up while eye smiling. But internally several red flags went up. He didn't understand how Naruto could have snuck up behind him and removed the bells without him noticing anything. It shouldn't have been possible even if Kakashi's attention was turned towards Sakura. His growing sense of confusion was something he unknowingly shared with Naruto, whom chastised himself for being so careless.

Still, he could not help finding the whole situation amusing. He wondered what scent Kakashi would give off once his true nature, and intentions were revealed. However, there was no point in hurrying, there was still much he had planned to do outside the village before turning his full attention towards Kohona. He returned now only to scout, and re-affirm his position as one of the village's shinobi. That way he could work from inside the system if he wished. A lot of information goes through here - even with Jiraiya gone - some of which may prove useful.

- Outside Kohona - Undisclosed Location -

A man cloaked by shadows was sitting on a throne in a room lit only by a soft luminescent with no apparent source. The room was large, and had no visible entrance, but most notably was the material the walls and the throne were made of, being constructed entirely out of moving and pulsating flesh. The figure on the throne had several organic tubes connected to his skull and sat there, unmoving but for a few twitches that seemed to ripple throughout the entire room. On a closer look one would find the features of this man very familiar, as they belonged to one Uzumaki Naruto.

After a series of particularly violent twitches the tubes started to dislatch themselves from Naruto's skull, making a disgusting ripping sound. As his eyes opened, nowhere was the clear azure of his childhood, but a cloudy white/grey, attributing to him an otherworldly visage. at a closer look, another changed could be seen in the weak light. His white, healthy skin had dulled into a sickly colour, closer to grey. His new appearance seemed to fit perfectly into his surrounding. As if the walls had been formed by the very flesh worn by the teen.

The walls began to convulse and an opening was formed on the wall opposite to the throne. Naruto rose, and walked out of the opening. Outside he was met by the sight of a forest stretching as long as the human eye could see. However, the inhuman visage his eyes had took on were not only for show.

Naruto felt sluggish, as always after using the flesh clone as proxy. It was one of his greatest creations. He could make a copy out of himself, using organic material. The clone had almost the same level of power as the original, with the drawback being that he could had to temporarily transfer his own consciousness to animate it. But it was great if you wanted to be at two places at once, or wanted to keep active around the clock. In the manner he was using the clone he didn't need any sleep. While he was using his proxy, the original body was resting, and vice versa. There were some unfortunate effects on his sanity due to depriving his consciousness of rest. But that didn't concern Naruto to any significant extent.

Finding a clearing in the forest, he laid down and activated his photosynthesis ability, letting his skin react to the sunlight creating new substances within his body, letting him sustain himself without food. Only the last few rays of sunlight remained, so it wouldn't be the most satisfying meal, but it would be enough.

He could not afford leaving his flesh clone during the day, lest someone finds it. While he wasn't there to animate it, it was by all definitions dead. Another small drawback. If he wasn't there to enliven the clone, it would start rotting. If the rot hadn't spread too far during his absence, the cells would regenerate at his return. He could not take that chance with his original body, so he had created an organic structure which kept his body active, and held the rotting away. It also continued his blood flow, so his brain would not be deprived of oxygen, thus creating brain damage. This was something he could usually heal easily, but every precaution had to be taken he had decided when creating it.

He was getting restless, the hunger was growing inside of him. He needed new, powerful prey to devour. He would not stagnate. There would without a doubt be several ninjas who's power he soon would be able to add to his own, and there, at the horizon were the Bijuu, his ultimate prize, but also his greatest challenge. But in the end, he knew, they would fall to him, and he would taste their flesh.

- Kohona, Next Day -

Naruto was walking along the streets of Kohona after a good night of death. He was hoping to find some old familiar faces, as he had not yet received any information regarding when he would be dispatched on a mission. He hoped it would be soon, as he was deathly bored, and he could not wait to get his hands on some powerful shinobi. With the skill that he displayed at the bell test, Sakura, Kakashi and he, who were now a team known as 'Team Kakashi', would likely be given an A to S-class mission

Finally sensing a familiar presence, Naruto glanced to his left. There was someone there, but who ever it was, they were hiding. Naruto directed some life-force to his eyes, which powered a lot of his new abilities, instead of chakra, and saw a female form standing behind a wooden fence. Taking a deep breath through his nose, to get a feeling of her emotional state, there was a very strong smell of shyness and embarrassment. Female and chronically shy, Naruto knew exacly who this was, the byakugan would be an excellent addition to his collection.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto called out. "Over here!"

Hinata was shocked at being caught, and her embarrassment increased ten-fold. But still, she could not run away, she wouldn't make such a fool out of herself in front of Naruto-kun.

"N-n-naruto-kun." she stammered, and tried her hardest not to look down towards the ground, tried and failed.

Naruto gave her a big smile and asked, "What are you doing standing behind there?" seeing her almost overheat from embarrassment. Hilarious.

Hinata seemed to be too flustered to answer for a moment, and Naruto took this time to device a plan for the purpose of gaining the byakugan. Hinata would probably be the easiest one to get alone in a place which they may meet privately. But hiding ones involvement in the disappearance of the heir of Kohona's most prominent clan was problematic. After all, Hinata would not survive the 'extraction process' .

He had really changed. When this new monster by pure accident entered the seal and devoured the Kyuubi, his brain chemstry had been drastically altered. His emotional bonds had disappeared, he no longer felt the same emotions. The one that grew up in Kohona by the name of Uzumaki Naruto was now gone. Now, he would lure one of the few who showed him kindness at a young age to a place where they were alone, and he would sink his jaws into her and gain her powers. They were wasted on her, Hinata was weak, not by body, but of mind. Hardly even capable of speech. She would never live up to the potential inherent in her due to the Hyuuga bloodline.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto heard a new voice call out.

Turning to the direction from where the voice came, he felt glee build up inside of him. It was Kiba, the dog boy, and also one of Naruto's biggest targets within Kohona. Kiba was far from one of Kohona's strongest shinobi, but it was the ability he displayed during the retreival mission of Sasuke Naruto wanted. Naruto had read in the report, Kiba had fused himself with the dog Akamaru to create a much stronger entity. They had made the whole far superior to than the sum of the individual parts. The potential use for such an ability was incredible. It made the byakugan seem like a small commodity.

"Ooh, Naruto!" shouted Kiba from a short distance away once noticing his presence. "How've you been? It wasn't yesterday!"

In many ways Kiba reminded Naruto of the old him. Perhaps a bit more arrogant, but the usual cheerful disposition and lack of some of the more intricate cognitive functions were dead on. He supposed, thinking about it, they were not entirely different still. Both had their animalistic influences, even if it was like comparing a lap dog to a lion.

"It has!" he replied. "I've been doing good, considering the circumstances I guess."

To this Hinata added, "I w-was very sorry to hear about..."

She didn't need to finish that sentence, the meaning hung heavily in the air.

"It's fine, Hinata. You don't need to worry about it!" he smile reassuringly.

"Well then!" Kiba injected. "We have to be off! We have a date tonight, and we just returned from a mission."

At this Hinata looked like she wanted to sink down into the ground, more than usual. The news of Kiba's and Hinata's romatic involvement surprised Naruto. He could smell the attraction Hinata had towards himself, it was quite strong after all. But when her attention was on Kiba, it was there, but weak to a point where it almost didn't matter.

Naruto waved the two good-bye. Kiba cheerfully waved back, while Hinata just scurried of with a small nod. Her emotions in turmoil.

He could barely contain his happiness. Kiba and Hinata would be alone tonight. Together! This was the perfect moment to hit two birds with one stone. He would keep an eye on Hinata during the day. It would be least likely that she noticed him. If for some reason she activated her byakugan it was over. But Kiba's sense of smell was always sharp, and could easily pick up on his presence.

- Later That Day -

The sun was beginning to set as Hinata was making her way out of the Hyuuga compund. The last thing she wanted to do now was go on a date with Kiba. She liked him, but only as a friend. She accepted his request to make him happy, he had seemed so sincere when he came up to her. And now Naruto knew! How could she live with this? If he thought she was together with Kiba, Naruto would never look at her with any romantic interest. Though that may not have been the case anyhow.

Making her way towards the exclusive resturant Kiba had picked, she felt a strange presence behind her. Turning around, there was only an empty street. Hinata had spent much of the last two years perfecting her chakra control, to be able to use techniques not requiring raw power. This had given rise to exceptional sensory abilities. But there was something wrong with the presence she had just felt. There was chakra, but also something else she could not name, something wrong and twisted.

Realizing what she felt could not be anything but her mind playing tricks, she continued. However, she could not get it out of her head, it had felt so real, so...familiar.

Naruto was standing on a rooftop as Hinata was entering the resturant. He really had to be more careful. One moment of carelessness and he was almost noticed. It was pure luck on his part that she hadn't activated her byakugan.

Hinata was inside the resturant for about one and a half hours when they finally left. By now it had become fully dark, with only a few lighposts to illuminate the streets. Naruto wondered what they could have done in there for so long, Hinata didn't seem like the kind of girl you would have an engrossing conversation with.

Making sure he had the wind in his face when turned towards his prey, so that the wind would not carry his scent, he stalked the pair down the streets. It seemed they had agreed to go on a leasiury stroll before heading back home. Judging from Hinata's reserved posture, it didn't seem likely anyone would get lucky tonight, so they wouldn't seek up somewhere quiet intentionally.

They walked for a long time, Kiba rabbling on endlessly, while Hinata only contributed with brief sounds and head gestures. Naruto was beginning to lose hope that they would ever go anywhere he could do his work unnoticed when Kiba led Hinata down a smaller and less illuminated street. The buildings around them had no windows facing their way. It was a strange direction, not towards any of the very romantic parts of Kohona, or especially pleasing to the eye. Could there be something he missed? Perhaps this wasn't only some random stroll. Perhaps they were heading somewhere. But Naruto couldn't wait, this was perhaps the only chance he would get.

Kiba was happy, he had finally built up curage to ask Hinata out. And she accepted! However, his happiness was tinged with worry. He knew about Hinata's infatuation with Naruto. And her reaction at meeting him didn't inspire much confidence. But he pushed this thought out of his mind. Knowing that he had to live in the now, grab every opportunity that placed itself within his reach. A ninja's life could end when least expected.

Suddenly he stopped, shocked.

"What's the matter Kiba-kun?" Hinata said with that shy tone of voice Kiba always had found so endearing. But now, his thoughts were far away. The scent that invaded his senses was so profoundly wrong - It changed. And not just the normal changes that occurs when taking a shower, or getting sweaty. No, the very base scent, the one that never changes throughout a persons life now seemingly defied reality, changing as if moving through a spectrum.

"Hinata..." was all he got out before seeing her blank stare just a moment before she hit the ground.

His mind was in a panic, he franticly looked around, in all directions, seeing nothing out of the usual. But the strange scent remained. Having stopped changing and settled into something more animal than human.

Having turned around yet again, desperately trying to spot their attacker, he found standing behind him a man. Kiba raised his clawed hand, ready to strike, when he recognized him. It was Naruto.

"Naruto! We are under attack. Someone knocked Hinata out!"

He continued looking around. It took him only a short while to notice that Naruto still stood there as he found him, staring.

"Why..."

Kiba had hardly started the sentence before noticing something was off. Taking a closer look at Naruto he could see changes. His skin was grey, his eyes... this could not be. Nowhere was the bright blue that previously adorned his iris. His sclera, iris and pupils were all blended together into the same grey-tinged white. And his scent - the same that just a while ago were still changing. Realization crept up on him. This was not the same Naruto that left two years ago.

Kiba once again entered a fighting pose, but it was for naught. An arm pierced his shoulder, and a hazy moment later he had a hand around his neck. Why? This was the question at the front of his head. He didn't understand. Why would Naruto do this? And with that question still bouncing around in his head the world went black around him.

Naruto squeezed out the last drops of Kiba's life. It had all been so easy. He was ready for a challenge. Even reversing to his most changeable form, in case there was need of on the spot modifications to his body. But that had not been the case. Far from it. Though it was expected with his superior strength aided by the moment of surprise.

Now, the hunt had come to an end. Naruto began to change form, the one he would be using to devour his prey. His teeth became longer, sharper. His jaw attached itself further back on the skull. Along with alteration to the flesh around the mouth, this allowed for a much larger gap, so that he could tear off of large pieces of flesh.

It was a gory process, unrefined by Naruto's standard. He had to absorb the entire body to make sure he gained all of the person's abilities. The chakra system was a complicated thing. Each channel containing a distinct frequency of energy. Failing to absorb every distinct source of energy within the prey would make an imperfect whole. bloodline limits were an excellent example of this, relying fully on certain energies only existing within that bloodline. However, Naruto thought it took too long. Ever since discovering his powers, Naruto had been seeking for an alternative. A more practical way of sating his hunger.

Now only a skeletal shape remained. He had learned that only very peculiar abilities took harbor skeleton, none of which the Inuzuka possessed.

Kiba's abilities and memories began to wash over him. Naruto stood hunched over the body, taking a moment, reveling in the sensation.

Soon Naruto rose from his position, now it was the Hyuuga's turn. He walked over to where she layed unconscious. Standing there, he had time to take in the sight of her. She was pretty, Naruto could never deny that. Innocent, not fit for the ninja life. He allowed his mind to wander, compelled by questions that without warning invaded his mind. 'What if?' - Why should he worry about choices no longer possible? - But that was the question that arose over and over even when banished. What if Hinata had it her way? Children sprung to mind, small Uzumaki/Hyuuga hybrids, calling him 'Daddy', running around his office, the Hokage's office.

Then he realized he stood on a precipice. Doing this would completely kill every bit of his old self, the one that until now had believed to be completely gone. Guilt began to take its hold around him. She was so...innocent. He knew these were emotions that could potentially cripple him, if he began to feel sorry for every prey, his development would be halted. But never before had they inspired this emotional reaction. What had changed? Why were Hinata so different?

Chosing to ignore the guilt still building up inside him, Naruto brought his jaws closer to Hinata's neck. She smelled so good, this would usually increase his hunger, now only served to increase his guilt. It seemed such a shame to remove her from the world. But he did what he must to gain new powers.

But Naruto did not get closer than that. As soon as he was about to begin the feeding a wind carried the scent of two people heading this direction. He hadn't the time, he would have to leave. Shit, he couldn't even risk taking the time hiding Kiba's remains.

Quickly, he jumped up on a rooftop and erased all traces of his of his presence. At a better vantage point he could clearly see who was coming. It was Kurenai and Shino. Seems like Hinata and Kiba were heading somewhere after all, meeting their team. Sitting completely still, Naruto slowly channeled his life-force out of his body. It was a painful process, bringing him to a near-death state where he could not move and his chakra was nearly non-existant. Hopefully this would hide him from Shino's bugs.

Their reaction upon seeing Hinata's unconscious body next to the fleshy skeleton was terrible. It didn't take a genious to figure out who the corpse was, and both Kurenai and Shino were just that. Kurenai broke down on the spot, kneeling before Kiba. She stretched out her arms, wanting to cradle her dead student, but couldn't get herself to touch the gory remains. Shino, on the other hand, still stood. Distraught as he may have been, he couldn't let his guard down.

He scattered his bugs, ordering them to search their surroundings for chakra signatures. Judging by the state of the corpse, the assailant wouldn't be far away. He gave only one bug an additional order - to inform the first person from his clan that it came by what had happened here, so that they in turn could bring this information to the Hokage swiftly.

"There is no one here." Shino told Kurenai after his bugs had secured their surroundings. However, Kurenai didn't react at all to this piece of information. Shino had never seen her like this before. He could understand her pain, but this was unacceptable for a ninja. There was the possibility that the killer had remained, and right now it wouldn't have been much of a challenge to deal with her.

They didn't have to wait long before a squad on Anbu appeared.

"Please return home, we will take it from here." the leader announced.

Shino had to all but tear her away from Kiba, but finally she had conceded and he led her home. Naruto took this opportunity to breathe life back into his body and escaped. It had been too close. Damn, he had fucked up a lot since returning. Maybe he should have stayed away a bit longer, to train and seek out new abilities. But now it was done, he had returned, and he had to make the best out of it.

As soon as he got home he went to bed. Wondering what would happen tomorrow, how his actions tonight would affect his situation. There would be sorrow, something he could fake easily enough, and a ninja's funeral. The blame would likely be shifted to a hostile village, or a missing-nin. If needed, perhaps he could convince everyone it was the Akatsuki, that they had found out he was returning to the village and decided to follow. And that Kiba and Hinata had accidentally found one of them, they were after all at an unlikely place at a late time.

- Next Day -

During the night he had been scouting with his main body outside of Kohona, visiting nearby smaller villages and towns. It seemed if as something strange was going on in Suna. There was one man who was coming from that direction claiming that the Kazekage had been attacked, and killed. Another saying that there had been a great battle in the middle of Suna, and the Kage had been captured by enemy ninja. Naruto knew immediately the Akatsuki were involved, which was worrying. He could not let them get hold of the Ichibi before he did. But there was nothing to do right now, he couldn't just disappear, not after what he did last night. No one would suspect Naruto had anything to do with it now, at least no one of note, but leaving would definitley turn some people's eyes towards him.

Now it was time to test the waters. He made his way towards the Hokage tower, under the pretense of asking when he would receive a mission. It was another sunny day as usual. His actions in the black of night seemed almost irrelevant now. But of course, that was not so.

He knocked at Tsunades office, and was at once allowed entrance.

"Naruto, good you're here. I was just about to send for you." said Tsunade.

Looking around the office Naruto saw all of Kohona 11, now 10, gathered along with their sensei's. All except Hinata and Kurenai. Everyone was looking gloomy, almost huddled together on one side of the room, as if trying to take comfort in each others presence.

"Hey... What's going on?" said Naruto, making his eyes widen in a visage of confusion and fear.

"There was an attack last night," Tsunade answered. "Kiba and Hinata..."

Tsunade took a moment to collect herself, then continued. "Kiba is dead, Naruto."

"Wha-What? How!?" Naruto let outrage seep in to his features, mixed with disbelief.

"We don't know, the assailant disappeared like a ghost. Hinata never saw anything. All she remembers is speaking with Kiba one moment, then waking up in the hospital the next. I have ordered Anbu to sweep the village over, and over again ever since the attack, but for nothing. Not a single trace of whomever it might have been."

Naruto let go of a tension he had been unaware of. It seems he has nothing to worry about. If the Anbu were going to find anything directly leading to him, they would have likely done so already.

"The most disturbing part is..." Tsunade continued. "Upon investigating Kiba's remains, it would seem like he was...eaten."

Judging from everyones reaction, it was clearly new information. The shock and disgust on everyones faces made that apparent. Naruto adopted a terrible speechless expression, as if struck by lightning. He tried his best to act like he would have had before leaving with Jiraiya, or at least before his death. It wasn't hard, no one doubted his act, not that anyone payed much attention to him at the moment.

"And it couldn't have happened at the a worse time, we have bad news coming from Suna."

Now everyones attention were once again fixed on Tsunade. So she continued. "The Kazekage have been abducted by the Akatsuki. We need to send help, and I don't have much choice but to choose from the group present right now."

Finally! The chance he had been waiting for. It was perfect. He would get to Gaara before the Akatsuki extracted the Ichibi, and he would take it in their place. Returning to Kohona wasn't a mistake!

"Send me!" Naruto called out. "Gaara is my friend. And I won't let any more of my friends die."

"Sorry Naruto, that is not possible." answered Tsunade apologetically.

"What! Why not?!" Naruto exclaimed with surprise he didn't have to fake.

"We know the Akatsuki goes after Bijuu, and the last thing we want to do right now is to bring another one to their door."

"But I must go! I can't just-" he didn't have chance to finish, when Tsunade interrupted.

"I said no! And that is an order!" seeing the sad, resigned look on Naruto's face she continued. "Look, I want you to take it easy for a while. Get used to being back in the village. You don't have to worry about this right now, the people I send will take care of this. Dismissed."

Naruto walked out of the office with his head turned towards the floor. He would have to get to Gaara in another way since the Kohona envoy wouldn't take him. He would use his body resting outside the village and follow. Hopefully Kakashi and Sakura would be chosen for the mission. That way he wouldn't have to worry about many people coming to see his flesh clone dead. It would be hard to explain suddenly coming back to life.

Underneath all worrying he knew, he would succeed. The Bijuu would be his. The powerful bloodline limits and jutsus of the Elemental nations also. Within him he had the key to unlimited potential. An unending evolutionary ladder, which he would climb to heights thought impossible.

Authors Notes:

This is the first chapter of my first fic. Hopefully you readers found it enjoyable. I appreciate all reviews. So, PLEASE REVIEW. All input is appreciated.


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